Movie Review: Wanderlust by David Wain

Title: Wanderlust
Director(s): David Wain
Genre(s): Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date (USA): February 24, 2012

“This is historic. The revolution has begun - all because this courageous woman saw an unjust world and waved her boobies at it.” –Calvin

Linda (Jennifer Aniston) and George (Paul Rudd) have it all—great jobs, a wonderful marriage and a shiny new microloft in the heart of New York City in which to toast their success. Well, that is until George loses his job and Linda’s documentary is passed up on by HBO. So now what’s a hip, happening couple to do? Taken in by George’s douchey brother, they struggle to find their place in the world. After a refreshing overnight stay at Elysium, the couple decides to make their home more permanently at the rural commune, only to find the free-spirited life isn’t quite what it seems. 

You know those movies where the trailer looks absolutely hilarious but then when you watch it you realize that all the funny parts were already in the trailer and you’ve essentially wasted your time? Yeeeeah. This is one of those movies. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying Wanderlust wasn’t funny, because it certainly did have its moments, but those parts are very far and very few between. Overall, for the type of movie it was, it was conventional and generic. Again, this is one of those times where high expectations led to severe disappointment. Wain and Rudd’s previous collaborations (Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models) were total winners. I mean, the concept—taking a modern, hip couple and throwing them into a hippie-style commune—is comedy gold. So then where did it all go wrong? 

Let’s start with the casting. Aniston isn’t someone you’d expect to see in a raunchy comedy and I suppose since her stint in Horrible Bosses, she’s trying hard to break away from her rom-com typecasting. But I have to say, she just looked like a fish out of water. It just wasn’t a role that suited her. Rudd, on the other hand, was right at home with his composed-man-meets-crazy-antics act. He practically invented and perfected the dry wit and sarcastic humour bit and he’s about the movie’s only saving grace because of it. I feel like everything else was just too forced or over the top to be funny. Wanderlust was a let-down and in no way lives up to Wain’s previous credits. Yes, some of the characters are quirky but they grow to be too awkward and unbelievable for my liking. The plot was a mash-up of dull hippy clichés and it got old very quickly. I honestly had a better time watching the trailer than I did the feature-length film, which is saying something. 

Summary Prognosis

Wanderlust is one of those movies that is doomed to lay in the “failed-to-meet-expectations graveyard.” It’s a conventional film that’s raunchy for the sake of being raunchy and far from memorable, though it does generate a few laughs. I’d say, if you want to see it, it’s worth a rental at best. 


Rating: ★★


Watch It: Amazon | Best Buy
Discuss It: IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes
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